In December 2014 Community Homes of Patagonia (CHOP) purchased .6 acres of land on the corner of 3rd and Pennsylvania Avenues in Patagonia. The property is called Gopher Field and is the vacant land located next to the Catholic Church and the senior housing apartments. It is also the former home of the Patagonia Yankees, a Little League team coached by St Therese’s beloved Father Titzler in the 1950s and 60s.
Gopher Field was purchased from the Lenon Family for $27,500. It was a bargain sale, as the land appraised for $115,000. The Lenon’s generosity allowed CHOP to purchase the land outright using $12,500 from their capital reserves and raising an additional $15,000 through a brief capital campaign during the last quarter of 2014. Bob Lenon, representing the family, wanted to support the creation of more affordable housing in Patagonia. The only condition on the sale is placement of a small memorial to Father Titzler for his contributions to the Patagonia community. Due to CHOP’s 501c3 nonprofit status, the family is able to realize the tax-deductible benefit of the sale.
CHOP is building the organizational capacity, partnerships, and funding resources required to build six moderately-sized affordable homes on the site. Three of the units will be single-family detached and the remaining three, attached units. These homes will be designed to attract people who have grown up or lived in Patagonia and want to stay here, as well as our local teachers, Town employees, and other members of the local workforce who cannot afford to live where they work.
CHOP’s Board of Directors encourages families and individuals who are looking for an affordable housing option to contact CHOP. Input from income-qualified households will impact home design as well as the type of housing, for-sale or rental, using CHOP’s community land trust program.
